Ghost in the Shadows
by MusicGeek764
Summary: Jem's been having nightmares ever scence the night Bob Ewell attacked him and Scout. Will Atticus be able to help comfort his son? Book spolilers, just a quick one-shot, please R&R.


_Hello! Taking a slight break from the cartoon section of the section to come over here. :) I just finished this book for school, and absolutely loved it! And, believe it or not, this isn't an old school project! :O I just felt like writing this, so I did! Jem's POV set a few weeks after the end of the novel. Atticus was hard to write, and he's such a good character, so I hope I gave him justice!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****To Kill a Mockingbird****. That lovely privilege belongs to Harper Lee. I'm not making any profit off of this; it's purely for entertainment purposes only. **

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><p>Ghost in the Shadows<p>

I'm running. Running like I'll never stop. But, I will, once I find Scout.

"Scout!" I cry my sister's name. "Scout! Where are you!" _Where am I is another good question._ It looks like the yard in front of the school. _What am I doing here?_

Then, it hits me, harder than Scouts fists when she's angry. _No! This can't be happening again. He...He's...H-he's dead!_

"Jem!" I hear Scout's voice, scared and close to tears, coming from far away. I run toward the sound of her screaming my name over and over. It sounds like a sick, twisted melody. I have to get to her first.

"Scout! Hang on, I'm coming!"

I never make it, because a root catches my foot. I look over to the tree, to see its branches and roots purposefully reaching out to snag me. I scream, and run.

I can't stop running, because he'll get me. I can't let him get me or Scout again.

I don't notice the shadowy ghost until I run right into him. He grabs me before I can run off. _No!_

He looks down at me and chuckles evilly. I start screaming for anyone to come help me.

"Scout! Atticus! Anyone! HELP!"

"No one can hear you!" His voice sounds like raddling chains, and I can still smell the whiskey on his breath. He picks me up and throws me on the ground. Giving one more malicious grin, he stomps on my arm at the elbow. I scream as it breaks all over again.

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><p>My screaming continues as I wake up, safe and sound in my own bed. I'm breathing heavily and I use my good arm to wipe the sweat off my brow.<p>

_ He's been dead for weeks now Jem! You gotta let this go!_

None of us can still believe Bob Ewell would ever consider killing me and Scout to get back at Atticus. I've never seen Atticus so shocked, and it lasted for days. I feel bad for Scout; she remembers more about that night than I do. But, she's not the one suffering from nightmares almost every night.

Atticus runs in, like he's been doing every time I wake up screaming. The sleep he's been losing is showing on his face. He quickly envelopes me in a hug, as I start crying. I feel bad for crying, but I can't help it. Despite the fact that Mr. Ewell is dead, he still scares me to death.

"Shhh..." He says over and over, rubbing his hand on my back in soothing circles. Aunt Alexandria walks in. She's a light sleeper, so she's also suffering the same fate that I'm putting Atticus through.

"Alexandria, go make sure Scout's still sleeping," Atticus quietly commands his sister. I can feel her nod and quickly leave the room. I'm grateful; I don't want Scout to see me like this.

When he senses I'm calm enough, Atticus unwraps himself from me. I can't meet his eyes. I'm embarrassed over my tears. Scouts barely shed a tear over all this, and here I am, crying into my dad's chest.

"It's okay to cry, son," Atticus says gently. Weird, how he seems to know what's troubling me. "It's okay to be afraid. Just because you show fear, doesn't mean that you're less of a person."

"But, Bob Ewell's dead! There's no point in being afraid of a dead person!"

Atticus looked at me strangely. "Son, just because Bob Ewell's dead doesn't mean the fear of him and what he did to you and Scout has to die with him. You're both going through so much."

"Oh, yeah? Scout hasn't shed a tear over this! She's not waking you up every night because she's scared of a ghost..." I trail off, feeling slightly guilty.

"Don't you feel bad about waking me up. I rather you tell me about this than bottle it up. And, just because Scout's not reacting to this the same way you are doesn't mean she's not suffering too. I don't think she'd want me telling you, however." I can see where Atticus is coming from. I've woken up Scout a few times, but, thankfully, she's never asked me about it.

"There's no shame in being scared of a ghost. We all have ghosts that hunt us. Whether they're actual people or events, just about everyone has their own things. And, they can change as we do. Maybe one day, Bob Ewell won't be your ghost anymore."

I think about what Atticus is saying. It makes sense, kinda.

"What's your ghost, Atticus?" It just comes out. I don't mean it to. Atticus's face, however, turns to puzzlement as he considers my question. Then, it becomes covert as the answer comes to him.

"I think you'd figure it out if you gave it some thought." Typical Atticus. He doesn't like giving a straight answer to most questions. Lawyer habits, I suppose. I think awhile. Then, it hits me.

"It's Tom Robinson, isn't it?" Atticus doesn't answer, but his half-smirk tells me I'm right. Then, he quickly changes the subject. I'm not surprised; I wouldn't want to reflect over this past summer's case either.

"Getting over this ghost will be a challenge. But, I think it'll help strengthen you. You'll have to work, and you may feel weak, but you're strong, Jem. You'll get through this."

I look down to hide the fact that I'm trying not to cry. Atticus may not be the most conventional father, but he seems to know exactly what to say. He ruffles my hair some and I allow a grin to spread across my face.

"Now, son. Are you going to be okay?" He asks, smiling slightly in a joking manner. I give him a lopsided grin in response.

He gets up from the side of my bed and makes his way out of my bedroom.

"Goodnight, Jem," Atticus says quietly on his way out.

"Goodnight, Atticus," I reply, and I see him smile faintly before he shuts the door.

I lie back down and get ready to sleep.

_Your ghost isn't gonna haunt me anymore, Bob Ewell. You can't hide in the shadows of my dreams anymore._

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><p><em>Why do I enjoy writing nightmare's so much? XD And, I've been doing endnotes more than normal. Weird. Anywho, thank's for reading, and please review. And, on the off chance you're following my other fic, new chapter on Saturday, as promised! :D Bye! :)<em>


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